Abraham henry wormald



' PatentedNov. [5, I898 A. H. WOBMALD.

LOCK AND KEY. (A lication filed. Nov. 13, man

(No Model.)

'A/l/E/VTOR. WM m -uc/ F/cJ.

A WITNESSES.

AWAM THE NORRIS PETERS cu. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, n. t.

UNITED STATES IATENT OFFICE.

THE WORMALD PATENT LOCKS COMPANY, LIMITED, OF MANCHESTER ENGLAND.

LOCK AND KEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,157, dated November15, 1898.

Appli ation fil d November 13, 1897. Serial No. 658,427. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM HENRY WOR- MALD, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Sheffield, in the county ofYork, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inLocks and Keys for the Same, (for which I have obtained patents in GreatBritain, Nos. 15,211 and 23,418, bearing the dates September 27, 1889,and December 20, 1892,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for locking taps or valves used to controlthe supply or flow of Water, gas, and other fluids, and for lockingvelocipedes or rendering the same temporarily useless, and generally tolooks and keys for portmanteaus or bags, the drawers ormoney-receptacles of coin-freed apparatus, and for similar uses.

The means I have devised to carry my invention into effect will be moreclearly followed by a reference to the accompanying sheet ofillustrative drawings.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 represents a sectional view of a simpleform of stop-tap to which my invention may be applied. Fig. 2 is asectional view at right angles to Fig. 1 and shows myimproved lockin gplug or screw applied and locking the plug of such a tap. Fig. 3 is aview of a keydesigned to operate the screwed locking-plug.

In applying my invention to lock the plug or barrel of a gas or watertap I form the plug or barrel a of the tap with countersinks, holes, orrecesses a, and I cast or provide the body or casing b of the tap with apap or teat c. This pap and the casing are tapped to receive a screwedplug (:1, having a collar d and a triangular extension d whichterminates in a cylindrical prolongation 01 I box in the screwedlocking-plug cl by meansof an inclosing nozzle, housing, or covering 6,having a restricted opening or keyway e, the nozzle being permanentlysecured to the pap by solder or by means of a rivet or pin. It will beobvious that to operate such a screwed locking-plug a key of specialdesign, such as is shown at Fig. 3, is requisite. The key f is producedby sliding a tube of thin steel at one end, so as to form threespring-fingers f, or by bending a slitted strip. A key of thisdescription can be readily inserted through the restricted passage 6',the fingers f closing or coming together on first entering the keyway,-

having passed which they are expanded on and grip the triangular portion01 of the plug, the ends abutting against the collar 01. The inner endof the keyway insures the grip of the fingers on the plug. Now by aright or left hand operation of the key f the plug may be advanced orretracted, so as to engage or withdraw from the countersinks a, andthere by lock or unlock the plug or barrel to of the tap. The plug mighteither be locked in such a position as to allow uninterrupted flow, toshut off flow entirely, or toallow only of a re stricted flow.

The screw would look the plug of the tap or spindle of the valve or arevoluble shaft or part of the velocipede by entering a recess in suchplug, spindle, or part, and in the cases of locks for other purposeswould in a simi lar manner prevent the revolution or withdrawal of apart until the screw would be turned back by the use of the key.

By the use of my invention unauthorized operation of the lock isprevented, as the plug can only be operated by means of the special keyshereinbefore described.

I declare that What I claim is-- In combination, the casing having a restricted keyway and an enlarged recess, a screw-plug having a headarranged in said recess and a larger cross-sectional area than that ofthe restricted keyway and a key having spring-fingers adapted to graspthe outer side of the head of the screw-plug, said springfingers beingcompressed in passing through the restricted keyway, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twoWitnesses.

ABRAHAM HENRY 'WORMALD.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. BARDSLEY, JOSHUA ENTWISLE.

